Who We Are NowWord文档下载推荐.docx

Who We Are NowWord文档下载推荐.docx

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schangingalmostbeyondrecognition.

Themessageseemedmixed.Itwas3o'

clockontheafternoonofSunday,Oct.3,1965,andPresidentLyndonB.JohnsonhadcometothefootoftheStatueofLibertyinNewYorkHarbortosigntheunsexilynamedImmigrationandNationalityAct.ItwasagrandandsentimentalstageforJohnson,wholovedthegrandandthesentimental.Therehewas,lessthanayearintoatermhe'

dwoninthegreatestoflandslidesoverBarryGoldwater,atthemythicgatewaytoAmerica,RobertandTedKennedyintheaudience,theeyesofthepressfixedonhimintheshadowsofthenation'

smostfablediconoffreedom."

OurbeautifulAmericawasbuiltbyanationofstrangers,"

Johnsonsaid,reachingforpoliticalpoetry."

Fromahundreddifferentplacesormoretheyhavepouredforthintoanemptyland,joiningandblendinginonemightyandirresistibletide."

Butthepresidentwasopenlyambivalent,too."

Thebillthatwesigntodayisnotarevolutionarybill,"

hesaid,defensively,almostasthoughtoreassurewhiteAmericansthattheyhadnothingtofear."

Itdoesnotaffectthelivesofmillions.Itwillnotreshapethestructureofourdailylives,orreallyaddimportantlytoeitherourwealthorourpower."

ToborrowanoldlineaboutWinstonChurchill,whenLyndonJohnsonwasright,hewasright,butwhenhewaswrong,well,myGod.（See,forexample,War,Vietnam.）Onreflection,thebillLBJsignedonthatOctoberdaywasoneofthemostsignificantofhismomentouspresidency,andthevirtuallyforgottenlegislationplayedakeyroleincreatingtheAmericathatmadethisweek'

sinaugurationofBarackObamapossible.

Whyexhumethelong-deadJohnsonontheoccasionofoneofthemostengaginginauguralssinceGeorgeWashingtontooktheoathatFederalHallinNewYorkCityin1789?

Becausewhowearenow—acountryinwhichtraditionalbarriersofraceandageandgenderarecrumbling—flowsinmanywaysfromwhatLBJdidthen.HisconflictinglanguageonthatOctoberday,meanwhile,underscoresthenation'

soccasionallywaryviewofthechangeswroughtbyimmigration.Weliketosaywelovethenew,butthefamiliar,cometothinkofit,isawfullycomfortable,too.Sowhichwillitbeinthecomingyears:

theAmericaofthemeltingpot,ortheAmericaofresentments?

TheAmericaofLincoln'

sbetterangels,ortheAmericaofNixon'

sSilentMajority?

TheanswerisalmostcertainlythatwewillbeoneoranotheroftheseAmericasatdifferenttimesdependingondifferentcircumstances.OnereasontothinkthatwemightfindourselveswithLincolnmoreoftenthanwithNixon,though,isthatthe"

we"

isgettingevertrickiertodefinequicklyandeasilyintermsofrace,ethnicityandreligion.WethePeopleof2009arenottheWethePeopleof1959or1969oreven1979.AndthatisbecauseofLyndonJohnson.

ThereissomethingquintessentiallyAmericanaboutalumberingwhitemanfromTexas—acomplex,giftedandultimatelytragicpolitician—transforming,howeverinadvertently,alargelyAnglo-Saxonnationintoacountrywhich,inroughlythesameamountoftimethatseparatesusfromJohnF.Kennedy'

sinauguration,willhavemorepeopleofcolorthanwhites.（Theshorthandforthismilestone,projectedtotakeplaceinabout2050,isthearrivalofa"

majority-minority"

country,butiftheminoritiesareactuallythemajorities,weshouldprobablyfindacleanerlinguisticwaytotalkaboutthecomingreality.）

Storiesaboutdemographytendtobeprospectiveandgeneral,anditisalltooeasytoexaggeratethisturninthestatisticsorthattickintheprojections.Butthismuchisclearandcertain:

thenationoverwhichObamawillpresideischanging,rapidly,andhistoryislikelytoconnecthispoliticalrisetotheshiftingnatureofacountrythatwaslargelyonethinginthewakeofWorldWarIIandthroughtheColdWarandintotheopeningyearsofthe21stcentury,andquiteanotherastheObamaerabegan.

Intheunderstandablethrilloftheinauguralseason,alleyesareturnedtothissingleman,allearsattunedtohisvoice.Whateveryourpolitics,theelectionofthe44thpresidentrepresentsakindofredemptionfromthelongandtragichistoryofblacksinAmericasincethefirstslavesarrivedinJamestown,Va.,in1619.Eversince,asthebiographerTaylorBranchoncewrote,colorhasdefinedAmericanlifeasitdefinesvisionitself.

YettheObamavictoryisaboutmorethanObama,andaboutmorethanblackandwhite.Inademocraticrepubliclikeours（aproduct,inlargepart,ofMadison'

sinsight,Jackson'

senergyandLincoln'

sgenius）,thepresidentisbothamakerandamirrorofthemannersandmoralsoftheelectoratethathasinvestedhimwithultimateauthority.Wehavenotreachedthepromisedlandinwhichraceand